Sunday, December 13, 2015

We have been in the thick of all things Christmas lately, with parties, parades programs and the like. The odd thing is that our weather has been close to 70 every day for the past week. I didn't complain one bit... winter tends to be a hard season for us, as being home bound for days on end tends to not mix well with boys (the lack of gross motor hits us hard!). So in between stringing lights and picking out trees and singing carols, we've dug around for summer clothes so we can play outside without breaking into an all out sweat.

This was the first year that I attempted a gingerbread house with the boys. They actually did really well, so this will be a tradition we will keep. Tyler just about licked every piece he touched, which wasn't that surprising given his age.

We went to Walmart one night as a family and picked out a tree. Brayden actually selected the one we ended up taking home, which was a delight for him.

This is our first year to let the boys decorate the tree on their own (we had a little bit of guidance for them). They did so well and were so excited and proud of what they accomplished. I loved listening to them remember when they made certain ornaments or memories.

We made a spontaneous trip to our town's little square earlier this week. We figured seeing Christmas lights in the warmth was much better than looking at them in the cold.

Connor had his last preschool Christmas program. He was so excited to perform on stage and have us in the crowd. He kept thanking us the remainder of the day for coming to see him sing on stage.

We finished this week with our annual train ride on the Christmas train. I could tell Brayden was a little bored with it, which made me super sad. They grow out of their wonder and excitement so quickly. We ended up having an extra ticket, so we invited one of Connor's little buddies to come along with us. They had fun goofing off together. And Tyler was completely enamoured this year with it all. He has fallen in LOVE with Santa, which is comical because he will literally scream out for Santa anytime he sees someone that looks like or is dressed like him. He's also too little to discern if it's all a scam, like his older brother (Brayden pointed out to us towards the end of the train ride that the young man who was walking up and down the aisles, was in fact, the guy who was dressed as Santa earlier. When I asked him how he knew that he said "because he's wearing the same shoes." Smart cookie, that one).

creepy fake beard Santa that Tyler wasn't afraid of one bit.
the boys waiting in the station before we left
JohnJohn and Connor. They have been buddies since they were born!
A not staged, cute pic. They were so excited when we took off and sat glued to the window like this for quite a while.
please notice Tyler's posture in talking with Santa. He is a mess. Brayden told him he wanted an XBox 22. Good thing I can easily say that those don't exist... yet. Ha!

As I reflect during Christmas time, I find so much wonder and amazement in the beauty of the meaning of Christmas... that Jesus, the Son of God, came down as a babe to ransom us from our depravity. It is such a depth of joy and mercy that I am not sure I will ever fully understand. We have greatly simplified Christmas this year for our family, and in it I have found that it is still as abundant and filling as the years that we have packed it full. I hope that this Christmas season has started off filled with peace and joy for you too. Wishing you the Merriest of days this month....